Cleaning devices for shaving apparatus serve to remove hair and other particles adhering to the region of the shaving head. Cleaning devices of this type are known in a variety of functions and designs, which are operated both manually and electrically.
EP 0 743 883 B1 discloses is a manually operated cleaning device for flushing objects such as a shaving unit of a rotary dry shaver. The cleaning device includes two containers for a flushing liquid. One of the containers has a variable volume, enabling the flushing liquid to be pumped between the containers by variation of the volume with the liquid current being used for flushing the shaving unit disposed in a receptacle between the containers. To retain contaminants, provision is made for a filter through which the liquid current is forced in a direction of flow predetermined by a valve arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,416 discloses a cleaning device for an electric razor which has a casing with an opening for receiving the cutter portion of the razor. The casing accommodates a motor-driven impelling assembly for generating a circulating current of a cleaning liquid, and an assembly for collecting hair and other particles. For cleaning, cleaning liquid is caused to flow through the cutter portion while the razor connected to the cleaning device is set in operation.
DE 44 02 238 C2 discloses a cleaning device for the shaving head of a dry shaver. The cleaning device includes a receptacle for the shaving head of the shaving apparatus and at least one cleaning liquid container. The receptacle is disposed above the liquid level of the cleaning liquid and is adapted to be supplied with cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid container by means of a motor-driven conveying device. The receptacle is connected with the cleaning liquid container through an overflow device and/or at least one outlet opening.
DE 690 21 898 T2 discloses a dry shaving apparatus having a drivable cutter element and a vibratory device adapted to be driven separately to clean a shaving head of the shaving apparatus without an external cleaning device. The vibratory device serves to dislodge hair particles and other contaminants adhering to the cutter element or other parts of the shaving apparatus. The vibratory device is set in operation by reversing the direction of rotation of the shaver's electric motor from the direction of rotation used during the shaving mode. With the direction of rotation thus reversed, a claw coupling driving the cutter element in the presence of a normal direction of rotation operates to produce a vibrating motion. To reverse the direction of rotation, a reversing switch is provided on the shaving apparatus. It is also possible for the electric motor to be set in operation in the reverse direction of rotation automatically for a short period of time after the shaving apparatus is turned off.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device for a shaving apparatus in such manner as to be economically manufacturable, to afford ease of handling when replacing the cleaning liquid, and to produce very good cleaning results.
The present invention can provide good cleaning results with improvements in the technical implementation of assembly and demounting of a replaceable cleaning fluid reservoir.